Carrier for garment hangers

ABSTRACT

This application discloses a garment hanger carrier which, in one exemplar form, has a tubular collar section and a hook-shaped body section having a U-shaped cross section fixed to the upper edge of the collar section and extending upwardly and outwardly therefrom. The hook-shaped body section accepts and supports the garment hanger hooks in its U-shaped cavity while the tubular collar section encircles the shanks of the hanger hooks and retains them together as a single unit for ease in transporting.

United States Patent [72} Inventor Norman C. Holmes 351 Pasadena Place,Corpus Christi, Tex. 78411 21] Appl. No. 702,716 [22] Filed Feb. 2, 1968[45] Patented Jan. 12, 1971 [54] CARRIER FOR GARMENT HANGERS 6 Claims,11 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 224/45 [51] Int. Cl A451 5/10 [50] Field of Search 294/15;224/45,45.l4; 16/1 14, 110; 206/7M, 7H; 190/43 [56] References CitedUNITED STATES PATENTS 710,236 9/1902 Audley 224/1 2,769,587 11/1956Threeton 224/45 2,967,071 1/1961 Deschene 224/45(14)X FOREIGN PATENTS187,394 1 1/1936 Switzerland 206/711 Primary Examiner-Gerald M. ForlenzaAttorneys-Arnold. Roylance, Kruger & Durkee, Torn Arnold, Donald C.Roylance, Walter Kruger, Bill Durkee and Frank S. Vade n,111

ABSTRACT: This application discloses a garment hanger carrier which, inone exemplar form, has a tubular collar section and a hook-shaped bodysection having a U-shaped cross section fixed to the upper edge of thecollar section and extending upwardly and outwardly therefrom. Thehook-shaped body section accepts and supports the garment hanger hooksin its U-shaped cavity while the tubular collar section encircles theshanks of the hanger hooks and retains them together as a single unitfor ease in transporting.

PATENIED JAM 2 ml 7 sum 1 [IF 2 NORM/4N C. HOLMES INVENIOR.

BY Axum 209W,

'GULW ULUIM AT TORNEVS Pmmmmm 3554418 sumzurz NORMAN C. HOLMES INVENIUR.

BY A/wfif, lmgm & Uuniwz ATTORNEYS CARRIER FOR GARMEN HANGERS BACKGROUNDOF THE INVENTION When traveling or delivering clothing, many peoplecarry clothing on several wire garment or suit hangers such as thestandard wire coat hanger used by most drycleaning establishmerits. Whenseveral hangers with clothing are being carried at the same time,transporting of the hangers is often very inconvenient and troublesome.Often, the hooks of the suit hangers tend to become tangled, making itdifficult to transport the clothing and to separate the hangers whenremoving selected garments. Further, the number of garment or suithangers that can be carried in this manner is limited because of theweight of the clothing which causes inconvenience and physicaldiscomfort in handling a large group of loaded hangers.

The hooks of the suit hangers can adversely affect circulation in thefingers and hands, cause severe cramping of the muscles in the fingersand hands and can damage the skin by pinching. Such physical discomfortlowers the efficiency of laundry and drycleaning delivery men and addsto the overall fatigue of such delivery men and travelers who must carrya number of heavy garments on suit or garment hangers for long distancesover extended periods of time. Often the traveler will carry severalsuits and other clothing in a garment bag onto commercial buses andairplanes. He will then have to carry the heavy garment bag by theuncomfortable wire hooks for long distances and long periods of timefrom the bus or airplane tO the terminal to pick up the remainder of hisbaggage and while he secures other transportation.

Accordingly, a novel means is provided for comfortably hand-transportinggarments, such as clothing and similar articles, suspended from wiresuit or garment hangers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION hook-shaped body section accepts and supportsthe garment hanger hooks within the cavity of its U-shaped crosssection.

When carrying the garment hangers with the hanger carrier in place, thefingers grasp the outer surface of the hook-shaped body section ratherthan the individual garment or suit hangers.

Accordingly, it is the primary feature of the present invention toprovide a garment hanger carrier that lessens hand and finger fatiguewhen several suit hangers are carried simultaneously.

Another feature of the present invention is that it is lightweight,durable and small in size so that it is easy to store when not in use.

Another feature of the present invention is the retaining of severalgarment hangers together as a single unit while the hangers are beingtransported.

Yet another feature of the present invention is to provide a garmenthanger carrier which will prevent the cutting and bruising of the handsand fingers by the hooks of the garment hangers.

Another feature of the present invention is to provide a garment hangercarrier which will more evenly distribute the weight of the garmentssuspended from the hanger over a greater surface than the surface of thegarment hangers themselves. thereby reducing hand and finger fatigue.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The aforementioned features of thepresentinvention will be apparent from the following detailed descriptionwherein reference is made to FIGS. in the accompanying drawings, whichdrawings form a part of and are incorporated by reference as a part ofthe specification.

In the drawings:

FIG. I is a pictorial view showing an embodiment of the presentinvention supporting several. clothes hangers and prepared for carryinggarments.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of one embodiment of thepresent invention showing several garment hangers being held together asa unit and supported by the hanger carrier.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the embodiment of thepresent invention shown in FIG. 2 and taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an end elevation view of'the hanger carrier illustrated inFIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of another embodiment of the presentinvention having a slotted entry way for admitting the garment hangers.

FIG. 6a is a pictorial view illustrating the first step of attaching thepresent invention to a group of garment hangers.

FIG. 6b is a pictorial view illustrating the final steps of attachingthe present invention to a group of garment hangers.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation, partly in vertical cross section, of a thirdembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along lines 88 in FIG.7.

FIG. 9 is a side elevation, partly in vertical cross section, illustrating a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view taken along thelines 10-10 of FIG. 9.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. I is a pictorialview showing an embodiment of the garment hanger carrier supportingseveral garment hangers and prepared for transporting the loadedhangers. Carrier 2 has a tubular collar 6 and a hook-shapedbody section8 for retaining and supporting the garment hangers 4, and is shown beinggrasped by the user in the usual carrying posture.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a vertical cross-sectional view of oneembodiment of the present invention is shown. Carrier 2 has a collarsection 6 and a hook-shaped body section 8 fixed to the upper edge ofthe collar 6 and extending upwardly and outwardly therefrom. Thejuncture of collar 6 and body 8 form a straight shank portion 14 of thecarrier which terminates in a lower surface 16 which is also the bottomsurface of collar 6. As can be seen in FIG. 3, body section v8 has agenerally U-shaped cross section, having a supporting floor portion 10and extending sidewalls 12 to define a generally U- shaped cavity 20 inwhich the garment hangers 4 are retained and supported. With garmenthangers 4 inserted into the carrier 2, as shown in FIG. 2, and beingsupported by the arched floor portion 10 of body section 8, the bottomedge 16 is positioned just above the horizontal bend'18 of the garmenthangers 4 to prevent carrier 2 from moving downwardly and allowing thecurved garment hanger hooks 4 to slip out of cavity 20 within bodysection 8. Ideally, surface 16 would be flush against the flared-outhorizontal bend of the garment hangers 18 to prevent any verticalmovement of the carrier handle 2 in relation to hangers 4. However, somespace between surface l6 and the horizontal bend of the hangers 18 isnecessary to facilitate the attachment of the carrier to the hangers 4in the first instance, as will be hereinafter described. Further, thelength of the collar 6, as indicated by dimension A, must convenientlybe of such a length so as to facilitate the rotational insertion of thehooked end of a garment hanger 4 as will be hereinafter described.

FIG. 4 is an end elevational. view of the carrier shown in cross sectionin FIG. 2. Garment hangers 4 are seen supported by carrier 2 with theirhooked ends supported by curved floor 10 and retained by sidewalls 12 ofbody section 8. Body section 8 joins collar 6 to form a straight shankportion 14 which terminates in a squared off lower edge 16, which aspreviously described, is spaced from and above the garment hangerhorizontal bend 18.

Referring now to FIG. 5, anotherembodiment of the gar,- ihent hangercarrier is shown. Carrier 2 in this embodiment has a tubular collarsection 26, a hook-shaped body portion fixed to and extending from theoutwardly extending end of body section 28. Body section 28 mayconveniently have a generally U-shaped cross section, as shown in FIG. 3or any other suitably shaped cross section that is convenient andcomfortable to grasp with the fingers. Body section 28 has an archedfloor portion 30 and extending walls 32 similar to the construction ofthe first embodiment shown in FIGS. 24. A retaining ring 42 is disposedaround body section 28 and is of such a diameter that it will easilyslide over the length of body 28 and yet will be retained by the largermaximum diameters of collar 26 and tip section 29. A larger ring 44passing through retaining ring 42 provides a convenient hanger means forcarrier 2. An optional slot 40 transversely through the longitudinallength of collar 26 provides a means of inserting the coat hangers intocollar 26.

' It may be observed that a suitable legend 38 may be fixed to the topor side surfaces of closed tip section 29 or to sides of the extendingwall portions 32 of body 28. This legend may conveniently take the formof an advertising slogan or the like. In this manner, drycleaners,laundries or other establishments may be provided with an inexpensiveadvertising means not available with a conventional wireiclothes hanger.Further, airlines, travel agenciesand hotels may also utilize thecarriers as a means of inexpensive advertising for travelers. In othercases, the legend 38 may be utilized to identify the owner of thegarments.

Referring now to FIG. 6, FIG. 6a is a pictorial view illustrating thefirst step of attaching carrier 2 to a group of garment hangers 4.Collar 26 is slippedover the tip 3 of hanger 4 and threaded over theshank portion 5 so that the lower surface 36 is oriented downwardlytoward the horizontal bend 18 of hanger wire 4 and with tip section 29facing in the opposite direction from hanger tip 3. Referring now toFIG. 6b, the next step is to rotate carrier 2 about the group of hangershanks 5 to orient tip section 29 directly below hanger tip 3. Carrierhandle 2 is now pulled upwardly, in the direction indicated by the arrowX, until the hook of hanger 4 is supported by body section 28. Thecarrier is now in position for use and will support the plurality ofsuit hangers as a single unit. Collar 26 encircles the grouped garmenthangers and retains them together as a single unit, preventing onehanger from rotating and'disengaging from the group of hangers.

- Referring now to FIGS. 2, 5 and 6, as hereinbefore mentioned, thedimension A of collars 6 and 26, shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, mustconveniently be of such a length as to facilitate the rotationalinsertion of hanger tip 3 and the sliding of collar 6 or 26 over thecurved portion of the suit hanger 4 (see FIG. 6). It can be seen that ifdimension A is too long, collar 6will bind across the curved portion ofthe hanger 4 and will be difficult to slide over a group of hangers.Further, when carrier 2 is rotated into the position shown at FIG. 6b,the interval indicated at C between the top edge of the extending wallsof body 28 and the curved portion of hanger 4 should be a minimumdistance consistent with allowing hanger tip 3 to clear carrier 2 whenthe carrier is-rotated from the position shown in FIG. 6a. This minimuminterval, indicated at C in FIG. 6b, is desirable in order that loweredge 16 or 36 (see FIGS. 2 or 5) will be as close as possible to thehorizontal bend 18 of the hanger in order to prevent excessive verticalslippage and free play in order to maintain the curved hooks of hangersQ within cavity (see FIGS. 2 and 3) and prevent the disengagement of thehangers 4 from body section 18 or 28. As can be seen in FIG. 5, bysliding retaining ring 42 into central position over the arch of thecurved body section 28, this problem is partially alleviated sinceretaining ring 42 will prevent the complete disengagement of garmenthangers 4 from carrier 2 unless the retaining ring 42 slides downwardlyto the extreme ends of body section 8.

With reference to FIG. 7, another embodiment of the carriier handle forgarment hangers is shown. In this embodiment,

the carrier 2 is constructed to a molded synthetic plastic material thathas a general shape similar to the first embodiment illustrated inFIG. 1. In this embodiment, carrier 2, comprises a tubular collarsection 56, a hook-shaped body section 58 fixed to and extendingupwardly and outwardly from the upper edge of the collar section 56. Asin the previous embodiments body section 58 has an'arched or curvedfloor 69 and extending walls 62. In addition, a flap 68, fixed to oneedge of the extending wall 62 of body section 58, extends over thecavity between the walls of body section 58 and is fastened to aretaining stud 70 affixed to the outer external wall of the otherextending wall 62 by means of insertion through a slit 72 in the tip offlap 68.

A movable collar member 66 having internal threads 65 mating with anexternally threaded portion57 of collar 56 allows collar member 66 to bemoved longitudinally with respect to collar 56. This longitudinalmovement of collar member 66 with respect to collar 56 allows thealteration of the dimension indicated at A in FIGS. 2 and 5 for thereason hereinbefore explained. The movable collar 66 may be moved to itsupper position making the dimension A short enough to alloweasyinsertion of the garment hanger hooks. Once the garment hangers havebeen inserted into carrier 2 and are supported within body section 58,collar member 66 may be moved downwardly until it either contacts'thehorizontal bend of the hangers (not shown) or until collar 66 reachesits maximum lower limit. Utilizing the movable collar 66, as shown inFIG. 7, the carrier 2 may be adapted for use with garment hangers havingvarious shank lengths.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of carrier illustrated in FIG. 7 takenthrough the body section 58 at lines 8-8. Body section 58 with its lowersupporting and retaining floor 60 and upwardly and inwardly extendingwalls 62 are shown. Flap 68 is shown extending across to close cavityand extends downwardly over the outside surface of the oppositeextending wall 62 and is held in place by means of retaining stud 70inserted through'slit 72. As may be seen in this F 10., the crosssection of body section 58 is generally U-shaped however, the supportingfloor 60 has a fairly flat supporting surface 74 as compared to thecurved U-shaped configuration shown in FIG. 3. Such a cross-sectionalconfiguration would allow a greater number of hangers to be placed in aside-by-side relationship without a tendency to slide toward the centerand move evenly distribute their weight. This configuration is also verysimilar to the typical cross-sectional configuration of what aretypically called luggage-type" handles often found on suitcases,briefcases and the like. Of course, any suitable cross-sectionalconfiguration may be utilized that is convenient and comfortable tohandle,

Referring now to FIG. 9, a fourth embodiment of the garment hangercarrier is shown. Carrier 2 is shown having a-tubular collar section 86,a hook-shaped body section 88 and a tubular closed tip section 89,similar to the embodiment hereinbefore described in FIG. 5. As may beseen in FIG. 10, body 88 has a generally U-shaped cross section having alower supporting floor 90 and extending walls 92 defining a generallyU-shaped cavity 104. A hook-shaped lid 98 is attached by means of hinge99 to the top portion of the closed tip section 89 for allowing bodysection 88 of hook 2 to be closed once the garment hangers (not shown)have been in serted into cavity 194 (see FIG. 10). A latch member 100 depends from the tip of the free end of lid 98 and engages the latchopening 102 within the interior wall surface of collar 86.

A movable collar member 96 slideably engages the outer surface of collar86 to allow member 96 to be moved longitudinally in relation to collar86. Collar 86 has a raised rounded ridge 87 disposed about itscircumference and adjacent lower edge 97 of collar 86. Movable member 96has a series of evenly spaced grooves disposed peripherally around itsinner surface for engaging the raised ridge 87 and holding collar 96 ina desired longitudinal relationship with respect to collar 86. Theadvantages of the movable collar 96 are identical to those hereinbeforedescribed in the previous embodiment of FIG. 7

relating to the ability to change the dimension indicated at A in FIGS.2 and 5.

The carrying handle 2 illustrated in FIGS. 25 may conveniently be formedof any suitable material, such as a synthetic plastic material, i.e.,polyethylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, or the like, or asuitable metal, such as alurninum, copper or stainless steel. In usingmetal or hard plastic as a material, a slot 40 as shown in FIG. 5 may beutilized to in sert the hangers into the carrier in lieu of theprocedure illustrated in FIG. 6. Of course, if the carriers of FIGS. 2-5were formed of a more flexible material, a single longitudinal slitthrough the wall of collar 6 or 26 would allow the hanger shanks to bedirectly inserted into the collar of the carrier without threading thecollar over the hooks.

The carrier shown in FIG. 7 may conveniently be formed of a suitableplastic or metal material as hereinabove described. The embodiment shownin FIG. 7 is, of course, of a flexible plastic material composition toaccommodate the integrally formed cover flap. It may be seen, of course,that such a covering could take the form of a hinged cover with anappropriate latching mechanism if the carrier were constructed to metal.

The carrier described in FIGS. 9 and 10, is constructed of a suitablesynthetic plastic material, since hinge 99 is shown as an integral stripof material attaching the upper edge of tip section 89 with one end oflid 98. Similarly, with the latch arrangement shown with latch member100 depending from the inner edge of the free end of lid 98, latch 100may be disengaged from latch opening 102 by merely pressing firmlyagainst the outer edge of lid 98 in the direction indicated by the arrowZ. After latch 100 has been disengaged, the lid may be lifted to allowthe insertion of the garment hangers and is shown in a raised positionas indicated by the dotted lines of FIG. 9.

Of course, the carrier as shown in FIG. 9 may be constructed of othermaterials such as a hard plastic, metal or the like. Lid 98 could behinged by any other suitable hinging means, and any suitable latchingmeans could be used to hold lid 98 in its closed position. Similarly,movable member 96 may conveniently be formed of a flexible plasticmaterial that will slideably and deformably engage the fixed collarsection 86 so that one of the series of grooves 95 will engage raisedridge 87 for locking member 96 in a desired position. Moreover, it maybe seen that either of the covers disclosed in FIGS. 7 and 9 may beutilized in combination with any of the collar and carrierconfigurations shown.

Numerous variations and modifications may obviously be made in thestructure herein described without departing from the scope of thepresent invention. Accordingly, it should be fully understood that theforms of the invention described herein and shown in the accompanyingdrawings are illustrative only and are not intended to limit the scopeof the invention.

I claim:

1. A carrier for garment hangers,'comprising substantially rigid collarand hook-shaped body .sections of unitary onepiece construction: I

said collar section encircling the shanks of the garment hangers andclosely spaced thereto for retaining the hangers as a unit, said collarbeingof a diameter requiring the free ends of the hanger hooks to berotationally inserted through the collar; and

said hook-shaped body section serving as a handle and extending from oneend of said collar section and terminating in an unsupported end spacedfrom said collar section for accepting and supporting the hooks of thegarment hangers, said body section having a generally U-shaped crosssection for accommodating a plurality of the garment hangers. v

2. The carrier as described in claim 1, wherein said unsupported end ofsaid body section includes a cup-shaped tip with a closed periphery incross section for securing the ends of the hanger hooks.

3. A carrier for garment hangers, comprlsing substantially rigid collarand hookshaped body sections of a unitary onepiece construction:

said collar section at least substantially encircling the shanks of thegarment hangers and closely spaced thereto for retaining the hangers asa unit; and said hook-shaped body section extending from one end of saidcollar section and terminating in an unsupported end spaced from saidcollar section for accepting and supporting the hooks of the garmenthangers, said body section having a generally U-shaped cross section foraccommodating a plurality of the garment hangers, said unsupported endof said body section having a cup-shaped tip with a closed periphery incross section for securing the ends of the hanger hooks. 4. The carrieras described in claim 3, wherein said collar section has a selectedcross-sectional dimension and said body section including saidcup-shaped tip have a crosssectional dimension at least as great as saidselected dimension of said collar section.

5. The carrier as described in claim 3, wherein said carrier isconstructed of metal and said collar section has a longitudinal slotthrough its outer wall for allowing the insertion of the garmenthangers.

6. The carrier as described in clam 3, wherein said carrier isconstructed of a plastic material and said collar has a longitudinalslot through its outer wall for allowing the insertion of the garmenthangers.

1. A carrier for garment hangers, comprising substantially rigid collarand hook-shaped body sections of unitary one-piece construction: saidcollar section encircling the shanks of the garment hangers and closelyspaced thereto for retaining the hangers as a unit, said collar being ofa diameter requiring the free ends of the hanger hooks to berotationally inserted through the collar; and said hook-shaped bodysection serving as a handle and extending from one end of said collarsection and terminating in an unsupported end spaced from said collarsection for accepting and supporting the hooks of the garment hangers,said body section having a generally U-shaped cross section foraccommodating a plurality of the garment hangers.
 2. The carrier asdescribed in claim 1, wherein said unsupported end of said body sectionincludes a cup-shaped tip with a closed periphery in cross section forsecuring the ends of the hanger hooks.
 3. A carrier for garment hangers,comprising substantially rigid collar and hook-shaped body sections of aunitary one-piece construction: said collar section at leastsubstantially encircling the shanks of the garment hangers and closelyspaced thereto for retaining the hangers as a unit; and said hook-shapedbody section extending from one end of said collar section andterminating in an unsupported end spaced from said collar section foraccepting and supporting the hooks of the garment hangers, said bodysection having a generally U-shaped cross section for accommodating aplurality of the garment hangers, said unsupported end of said bodysection having a cup-shaped tip with a closed periphery in cross sectionfor securing the ends of the hanger hooks.
 4. The carrier as describedin claim 3, wherein said collar section has a selected cross-sectionaldimension and said body section including said cup-shaped tip have across-sectional dimension at least as great as said selected dimensionof said collar section.
 5. The carrier as described in claim 3, whereinsaid carrier is constructed of metal and said collar section has alongitudinal slot through its outer wall for allowing the insertion ofthe garment hangers.
 6. The carrier as described in clam 3, wherein saidcarrier is constructed of a plastic material and said collar has alongitudinal slot through its outer wall for allowing the insertion ofthe garment hangers.